Vandy’s 4 toughest QBs in 2016: Kelly, Dobbs and questions
By Chris Wright
Published:
Vanderbilt allowed two 300-yard passing games last season.
It might allow half that in 2016. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t talented quarterbacks capable of challenging the Commodores. It’s just that three of the best in the group are more dangerous with their legs.
From the top …
Chad Kelly, Ole Miss
Why? The schedule always matters, and Vanderbilt catches annual West partner Ole Miss in the 11th game, the week before each closes the season against its respective in-state rival.
Kelly threw for 321 yards but was intercepted twice when these two met last season in the fourth game, his fourth real game as a Power 5 starter. He played well enough to escape with a win, but his 119.7 passer rating was his second-worst all season.
It’s possible the Rebels could be in look-ahead mode with the Egg Bowl looming, but it’s doubtful Kelly will be, especially if he’s closing in on 4,000 yards.
Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee
Why? The Vols passed for 192 yards against Vandy last season — and won 53-28. Half of Vandy’s points came in a meaningless fourth quarter.
Dobbs passed for 140 yards and two scores, but he dominated with his decision-making and his feet. He ran for 93 yards and a score. Alvin Kamara added 99 yards rushing and Jalen Hurd led the Vols with 120 and a touchdown.
There’s zero chance of a letup if the Vols enter this game eying Atlanta and beyond.
Justin Thomas, Georgia Tech
Why? No team in the country — not even Auburn — underachieved quite like Georgia Tech last season. The Yellow Jackets were preseason No. 16 and finished 3-9, their worst season since going 1-10 and firing a coach mid-season in 1994.
Thomas, trying to be a one-man band, was a huge part of the problem, too.
After a breakout sophomore season (1,719 yards passing, 1,084 rushing with 26 combined TDs), he was a jinxed junior in 2015. He finished 1,8333 total yards and just 19 combined TDs. Georgia Tech lost nine of its final 10 games after a 2-0 start.
Nobody saw it coming.
Thomas is back and the supporting cast is better. The assumption is the senior will play much more like the sophomore version.
Brandon McIlwain, South Carolina
Why? Regardless of which quarterback was selected, there is a precipitous drop from Kelly and Dobbs to the fourth spot.
In Vandy’s six remaining SEC games, it likely will see five new quarterbacks, with Missouri’s Drew Lock being the lone familiar face. It’s possible Georgia’s Greyson Lambert starts their Week 7 encounter, but it’s safer to assume the job will belong to Jacob Eason by then.
Likewise, it’s possible South Carolina’s Perry Orth starts the opener Sept. 1, but there’s no denying the sense of excitement McIlwain brings to the huddle.
McIlwain, a two-sport early enrollee, was the star of South Carolina’s spring season. Orth’s injury allowed him extra snaps with the first team and he took advantage to the point where Gamecocks reporters believe he all but won the job.
He’s more of a mix of Dobbs and Thomas than a passing threat like Kelly, but he’s more accurate than any of the three Auburn quarterbacks Vandy could see Nov. 5.
And because he’s a true freshman, the only real tape Derek Mason has is from South Carolina’s spring game. Mason is a defensive mastermind, but McIlwain’s ground game will give him a chance.
All of which, given the other options and unknowns, make McIlwain the fourth toughest quarterback the Commodores will face in 2016.
Chris Wright is Executive Editor at SaturdayDownSouth.com. Email him at cwright@saturdaydownsouth.com.
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
